With time now ‘flying by’ before the staging of the June 1 to 29 Cricket World Cup here in the Caribbean, the focus of the region that is as concerned with the event’s financial success as it is for the quality of the spectacle that the event provides for cricket crazy Caribbean and extra-regional fans of the game is beginning to ‘seep through’ across the region. Given the current economic challenges confronting the majority of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member countries, it is hardly surprising that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has already began ‘throwing numbers around.’ Cricket West Indies (CWI) President, Kishore Shallow, has been quoted as saying that the event “is projected to yield over US$300 million in direct economic impact for the Caribbean,” and that, moreover, the event “is anticipated to captivate more than a billion viewers worldwide through television broadcasts, further elevating the global stature of the Caribbean as a sporting and tourist destination.”
